1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lawnmowers and lawnmower attachments, and more particularly to a device to prevent grass from building up on lawnmower wheels.
2. Description of Related Art
When lawns are mowed, grass clippings frequently build up on the wheels of the lawnmower. The problem is particularly severe when the grass is damp or when a large area of lawn is mowed. These clippings tend to fall off the wheels in clumps as the mowing progresses. The clumps leave an unsightly trail, giving a sloppy appearance to the lawn. If not raked up, the clumps of clippings can block sunlight and damage the grass beneath them. Clumps of clippings tend to take longer to decompose than evenly spread clippings.
Brushes and scrapers for removing mud and the like from the wheels of tractors, bicycles, automobiles, etc. are well known. Mud is semisolid, typically sticky, and clings tightly to the wheel. In removing mud, it is generally necessary to channel it in a particular direction to avoid redeposition onto the wheel. Grass clippings are fibrous and have characteristics very different from mud. Known brushes and scrapers are not suitable for removing grass clippings from lawnmower wheels. Grass clippings would tend to tangle in the bristles of brushes and would be difficult to remove, since the clippings cannot simply be washed out as mud can. Brushes are also bulky and wear down quickly.
Known scrapers work well for cleaning mud from metal wheels, but are unsuited for cleaning grass from lawnmower wheels. The typical lawnmower wheel is composed of rubber with deep treads for traction on wet grass. Lawnmower wheels are much smaller and lighter than wheels for farm tractors and the like.
The following patents illustrate devices having the above disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 602,193 to Neuert discloses a brush which is mounted on a bicycle tire to clean the tire. The brush has a pair of concave jaws with bristle brushes on the inside. The jaws are connected at one end by a spring which holds the brushes against both sides of the tire. The brush may include a yielding scraper at one end to remove dirt after it has been broken up by the brushes.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,835,273 to Byson teaches a scraper attachment for the front wheels of tractors. The scraper device is attached to the steering axle so that it swings with the wheels. A scraper bar is rigidly fixed in place by a scraper arm secured to the axle. The scraper bar has a scraper member which scrapes mud and foreign matter off the wheels. This prevents the wheels from clogging in muddy fields.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,077,919 to Engstrom discloses a mud scrapes for tractor wheels which can operate in either a forward or reverse direction. The mud scraper has bow-shaped right and left hand supporting members on which front and rear mud scraper blades are mounted.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,157,253 to Yetter teaches a tractor wheel scraper for removing mud and trash from the front wheels of tractors. The scraper blades are gradually curved upwardly and outwardly to conform to the curvature of the sides and tread of the pneumatic tires of the tractor. The blades are secured to plates having openings to accommodate adjusting bolts.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,469 to Seda discloses an agricultural implement wheel scraper assembly. The assembly scrapes mud and dirt from the wheels of a farm plow or the like. The assembly includes a curved disc attached to a mounting bar. The disc rotates as the wheel turns, scraping the mud or dirt from the wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,746 to Swales teaches a scraper mechanism for a disk blade. The scraper includes a wear ring attached to the rim of a rotary scraper, which is biased toward and in contact with one side of a disk blade. The wear ring is in contact with the wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,913 to Kulbeck discloses an in-line roller skate having scrapers for scraping the pneumatic tires of the skate. The scrapers remove mud and rocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,690 to Kozicki teaches a wheelchair for cleanrooms. The wheelchair has tacky rollers to clean the wheel as the chair rolls.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,420 to Specht discloses a device for cleaning snow and other debris from the surface of an automobile tire. A motor inside a housing positions a threaded screw with an associated coupling nut. A brush is secured to the coupling nut and cleans the tire tread.
British Pat. No. 287,565 to Akre discloses a scraper for drying cylinders and rollers in paper making machines. British Pat. No. 1,015,565 to Miag Muehlenbau Und Industrie G.M.B.H discloses a device for scraping rollers in roller mills.
British Pat. No. 1,483,047 to Fearon teaches a device for reducing the amount of mud, small stones, water, or other matter sprayed from the wheels of a motor vehicle. The device includes brush in contact with the tire, with a flap attached to one edge. The flap is composed of a resiliently deformable material and cushions the water hitting the flap, so that water does not spray out to the sides of the tire.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is a scraper device to prevent irregular release of grass clippings from a wheel of a lawnmower. The scraper device has a scraper with a concave inner surface. The lateral edges of the scraper are separated from the wheel surface by a predetermined, uniform scraper distance. The length of the scraper is approximately equal to the width of the wheel. The width of the scraper is about ⅙ to xc2xc of the diameter of the wheel. An arm attaches the scraper to the housing of the lawnmower adjacent to the wheel. The scraper and the arm are composed of a rigid material such as metal or plastic. As the wheel turns in either the forward or reverse direction, grass clippings are removed from the wheel, preventing the formation of clumps. The invention also includes a lawnmower having four attached scraper devices, and a method for improving lawn appearance using the scraper device to remove grass clippings from the wheels.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a scraper device having a scraper with a concave inner surface and an arm attaching the scraper to a lawnmower housing adjacent to the wheel.
It is another object of the invention to provide a scraper device having a scraper and an arm composed of a rigid material.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a scraper device which prevents irregular release of grass clippings from lawnmower wheels.
Still another object of the invention is to improve the appearance of a lawn by preventing the accumulation of clumps of clippings.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.